President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg, Mosques and the Constitution

Dear Friends,

I was impressed with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's remarks earlier this month about the mosque near Ground Zero, but until tonight I had just heard clips on the news.  Tonight I read a transcript of his speech (here).  It is really impressive when you read the whole thing.  I tried to but cannot summarize it, so I would suggest that you read it.  It is short but excellent.  I would love to hear a discussion between Mayor Bloomberg and the Republicans who are railing against the Muslims and mosques.

President Obama joined the discussion about the mosque near Ground Zero in a speech at the Iftar dinner at the White House marking the breaking of the daily Ramadan fast.  On Friday night when I heard reports that he had joined the discussion and had strongly supported the building of the mosque, I was very pleased.  The next day I saw clips of his remarks and remained very pleased that he was speaking out for our values so clearly.  Then I heard reports of his "clarification" of his remarks, and I was very disappointed. 

The Republican response to the issue of a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero is repulsive, and once again makes clear that they will say anything to strike fear into the hearts of their base in order to win elections.  I think that I will comment on that another day, but for now, I want to focus on what President Obama said.

I have now read the transcript of President Obama's speech at Friday night's Iftar dinner (here).  It is an impressive speech.  The news clips do not do it justice.  I really love it that both President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg discussed the history of religious freedom in our country including the difficulties that we have had from time to time maintaining this core value of ours.  I am not able to summarize it.  You really should read it.  Like Mayor Bloomberg's speech, it is not long.

I have not found a full transcript of President Obama's clarification of his remarks, but the most quoted statement is

I was not commenting, and I will not comment, on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about.

There are several problems with this clarification.  Worst of all, it is a lie.  Anybody reading the transcript of his Iftar dinner remarks can tell that he was supporting the mosque that is located two blocks from Ground Zero.  Here are two key paragraphs:

Now, that's not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -- particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.
But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.(emphasis added)

These two paragraphs are well written and very clear.  No clarification was required and the "clarification" offered by President Obama is much more like a retraction.  His speech was not an academic recitation of the freedom of religion in our country.  It was a clear, well articulated endorsement of building the proposed mosque in lower Manhattan.  It was a speech that made me proud to have him as my President.

President Obama must have known that this speech would be greeted with outrage by the Republicans.  He must also have known that his clarification/revocation of his speech would be ignored by the Republicans.  So why does it seem like he was surprised by the reaction?   Why did he make a speech that he had to know would start a fight with the Republicans and then immediately back down which he also had to know would not satisfy the Republicans?

Until President Obama is willing to stand up and fight for what he believes in, whatever that is, he will continue to lose the support and respect of the American people.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal